This invention relates to an attachment for paint cans and the like, and more particularly to a pouring spout for cans which prevents paint or other liquids being poured from such cans from accumulating in the groove or running down the side of the can, and which has a number of other useful functions.
The invention comprises a combination of several elements to provide a pouring spout with advantageous features not possessed by any other pouring device in the prior art. Anyone who has ever painted has experienced the problem of trying to pour paint or other liquids out of cans of the type referred to in a neat and clean manner, only to find that it is practically impossible to do so. The problem arises in that the metal cans for such materials are lacking in any means to dispense the contents in a satisfactory manner without filling the can lid sealing groove and spilling some of the contents down the outside of the can. This causes waste and a very messy clean-up. In addition, if painting is accomplished by withdrawing paint directly from the can with a brush and the common practice of wiping the brush on the rim of the can to remove excess paint is utilized, the attendant filling of thelid groove is a certainty and if the accumulated paint is not removed, prevents the lid from being resealed properly as well as typically causing paint to be spattered over the surrounding area as the lid is struck a blow to reseal it.
Over the past fifty years or more, many attempts have been made in the prior art to produce an acceptable paint can pouring spout product to meet the need in the art, but they all have one or more of the following problems:
Problem #1: They were made with means to fit a specific dimension on a can and therefore would fit only cans made by one or two manufacturers. Can manufacturers do not make their cans exactly the same, each having their own unique specifications. The result was a large number of cans having different dimensions, even though they have the same capacity, which prevented universal use of the prior art pouring spouts on all paint cans.
Problem #2: They did not have sufficiently effective pouring means to prevent paint from either running down the outside, into the lid groove, or down the outside of the can, or else did not have fully effective means for preventing paint from accumulating in the lid groove from inside the can during a pouring operation because of the differing dimensions.
Problem #3: They did not encircle the top of the can far enough to prevent paint from running over the inner ends or sides of the device when pouring from a full can.
Problem #4: They did not have a separate and adequate means for wiping excess paint out of a brush when painting directly from a can, and in such a manner that all of the paint would run back into the can, nor did they have means for stripping paint from a brush preparatory to cleaning. Several of the prior art devices show and claim brush wiping means to be a curved surface such as their pouring lip or the inner rim of their attachment means. Because all brushes have bristles arranged in a substantially straight line, this is not an efficient way to perform this necessary operation. A curved surface will remove paint from the outer edges of the brush but very little from the middle portion, resulting in an uneven application of paint to the surface being painted and making it necessary to brush the same area over and over again to get an even coat of paint. Additionally, wiping a brush on the pouring edge of a spout will invariably draw some paint over the edge and it will run down the outside of the spout and either into the lid groove or down the outside of the can.
In a survey made by applicant of eleven cans made by different manufacturers, it was found that their dimensions varied as follows: